News & Info 8 - Pen Vibe

Are Fountain Pens on the Decline?

June 14, 2019September 18, 2009 by Tony Bridges

There’s an interesting line about fountain pens in the movie Duplicity. Conniving CEO Dick Garsik (played by Paul Giamatti) is reading a handwritten draft of a memo by a rival company head. The memo bears bad news and the flustered Garsik stops at one point, turns aside to his employees, and says:

“I mean, who the hell writes with a fountain pen anymore? How fricking pretentious is that?”

He’s being a little harsh, for sure, but the line raises some good questions. Do people still use fountain pens regularly, as they did several years ago when the pens were enjoying a resurgence in popularity? Or, has that time passed? And, if so, has there been a resulting slowing of sales?

What is Pencil Lead Made Out of?

October 2, 2023September 7, 2009 by Peter Warrior: Pen & Pencil Expert

What is pencil lead made of & where does pencil lead come from? These are the questions you start pondering …

Where did ‘Poison Pen’ Come From?

February 28, 2020August 31, 2009 by Tony Bridges

You’ve probably heard the term “poison pen” before.

There was a recent article in The Times reporting that actress Claire Forlani is being sued by an antiques dealer over a “poison pen” note about him that she sent to friends. People Magazine used it in a headline this summer to describe a letter that Tori Spelling’s mom wrote to “Middle-Aged Reality Show Stars (Like My Daughter).”

Do Fountain Pens Improve Children’s Handwriting?

April 16, 2020August 12, 2009 by Tony Bridges

In the right hands, fountain pens produce some beautiful lettering, so it stands to reason that giving your child a fountain pen might be the right way to neaten the little one’s Ps and Qs. But can using a fountain pen really improve your children’s handwriting?

It very well might be the case and there is at least one Junior School that is convinced of the benefits of introducing children to fountain pens at a very young age. Also when it comes to doing exams if your child has neat legible handwriting then this can only be a good thing in the eyes of an examiner. They must get very frustrated trying to decipher something resembling spiders crawl when they have hundreds of papers to mark.